After some good news from the prophet in chapter 10, God expounds upon what He said in Zechariah 10:3 in which He spoke through the prophet, “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders.”

When we read Scripture, we learn about real people who live in real historical times. We learn their names, get to know their families, and study their character traits and accomplishments —or lack thereof. It’s very easy for Christians to over-focus on the human elements in the Bible and completely miss the real power that is at work behind the scenes. Scripture is clear that there is a spiritual realm that is constantly influencing the physical world of man. All the unrighteous, called sons of disobedience, live under the direction of Satan and his fallen angels (Ephesians 2:1-2). Likewise, all those who say “Jesus is Lord” are under the sway of the Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12:3). This spiritual reality is made very clear in this section of Zechariah.

The people of Judah are easily discouraged and distracted as they try to restore their nation. At times they waywardly look away from the Lord for provision, direction, and strength and become like lost sheep. Thankfully, God has not left them alone. Zechariah is sent with a message of correction and encouragement. His message not only reminds God’s people that God will shepherd them, but that the coming Messiah will bring stability and protection.

Zechariah 9 marks a major shift in the book. From here through the end of the book, the chapters contain prophetic oracles, and this chapter holds one of two major ones. Given the state of Judah as a remnant people under the power of a foreign nation, will God’s promises still stand? This question must be at the forefront of the minds of those who have journeyed back from exile. In chapter 9, the prophet gives a different perspective to the people longing for hope: there is hope coming, but not how they might expect. Hope will come in the future through a humble king.

Twice in our passage, God reminds the people of the destruction He brought on them because of their disobedience. In verse 10, God calls attention to the economic and social state of things under the curse. When a society is under a curse from Almighty God, it is not difficult to look around and see the effects of that curse. God used the Babylonians to utterly destroy Judah and its capital city, Jerusalem. He again reminds those who returned from their exile that He “purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, and I did not relent” (v. 14). When God purposes to do something, there is nothing that will stop Him from accomplishing it. Even after King Josiah’s reforms in 2 Kings 23, God still was not dissuaded from the destruction of the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

Chapter 7 begins almost two years after the last of the eight visions Zechariah received. Things have been going well in Jerusalem. The temple is being rebuilt and is just a few years at this point from being finished. Leadership is established through Zerubbabel, and the priesthood is active through Joshua. Word has reached all around the surrounding areas that the prophets, speaking for God, have returned to the holy city. These are exciting times in the city, but also for local areas that once benefited from the prosperity of Jerusalem in her flourishing days of old. Things are really turning around and future fortune seems just around the corner. These new times bring new questions to the minds of those living in the vicinity of temple progress. And who better to answer these questions than the leaders and prophets of Jerusalem?

In Zechariah 3, Zechariah’s visions introduced a character called “the Branch,” who will bring about restoration and new growth in God’s people. In Zechariah 6:9-15, the Branch is spoken of again, and we learn that the Branch is a priest who is crowned like a king. This brings hope and purpose to the exiles of Judah, who are charged with restoring the city of Jerusalem and its temple.

We’ve seen horses before in Zechariah (see Zechariah 1:7-17). In his eighth and final vision of the evening, Zechariah again sees horses. This time, the vision is not against the background of darkness, as it was in chapter 1. Rather, Zechariah’s eighth vision is set against the background of dawn. Hope is breaking through for God’s discouraged people. They are to get their eyes off of their bleak circumstances and onto their sovereign God, who is working out His rule and reign in this world for the benefit of His people. Our circumstances are never beyond the reach of hope!

As we begin chapter 5, we see the prophet Zechariah having two separate visions, the sixth and seventh that are recorded in this book: the Flying Scroll, and the Woman in a Basket. Though the two visions are different, they clearly go together to form one bigger message: that sin is revealed through the law, sin is judged, and then sin is removed.